Wineries to watch

Belondrade, 20 years standing up for whites

Amaya Cervera | August 21st, 2014

As
the sole winery in Rueda devoted almost exclusively to aging Verdejo in barrel,
Belondrade is capable of producing roughly 80,000 bottles per year of white
Belondrade y Lurton which is sold in Spain at around €25.

Owner
Didier Belondrade is, without a doubt, a great champion of white wines. When I
visited him at his facilities in La Seca (Valladolid), located in the vast
Castilian plateau, he blurted out: “White wines must be thrust into the
limelight. The ones we have right now in Spain are incredible, but every time
our politicians toast, they'd rather use red.”

Didier
Belondrade likes to display vehement statements about wine and life in general.
He also describes himself as a perfectionist, somewhat punctilious and almost
compulsive. One need only visit his winery to notice the careful design of the
labels and website, or learn about the painstaking efforts to look after his
vineyards. Both the winery and the wines are an extension of his personality
and his view of Rueda, a region in
Castille-Leon whose fame (and great commercial success) has soared during the
last few years.

Love at first sight

Things however were quite different when he arrived in the region
in the 90s. To start with, Verdejo was in the stages of recovery at the time,
given that the area had been invaded by the likes of Palomino and to a lesser
extent Viura after phylloxera. Nevertheless its potential was pretty clear
since Riojans form Marqués de Riscal settled there in the 70s. But the style of
Verdejo that prevailed was a young and fruity white wine, with fresh herbaceous
aromas.

Didier, already a fan of Spain who owned a house in Seville’s
Sierra Norte, first tasted Verdejo in 1993. The bottle sent by a friend seemed
peculiar and quite different: “As I found finesse and elegance, I thought I
could make something interesting with this grape. I liked that bitter touch, so
on my way back to France I paid my first visit to Rueda”. The stony soils
reminded him of the Rhône. Climate data showing wide temperature fluctuations
between day and night during the ripening season were perfect to achieve good
acidity levels. “It was a rather cheap area –recalls Didier– as nobody talked
about white wines in Spain at that time.”

The first Belondrade y Lurton, a 1994, was released two years
later and in 1998 Didier moved permanently to Spain. The project was initially
shared with wife Brigitte Lurton who brought a name of Bordelais resonances to
the label, but after the couple's divorce, Brigitte returned to France and
Didier continued with the business by himself. Nevertheless, the name of the
wine remained intact. In 2000, a winery was built in the town of La Seca around
which the vast majority of Belondrade’s vineyards can be found.

A Verdejo blend

From the start the idea of making a high quality barrel fermented
Verdejo from privately owned vineyards was pretty clear. Prior to 2006, as much
as 30 hectares spread over 19 different parcels within the town of La Seca were
purchased or planted. Since 2012 onwards all of them are organically farmed.

Clay and stony soils with sandy areas can change considerably
according to varying percentages of clay, offering thus quite different expressions
of Verdejo. Terrains with a solid layer of clay found two metres deep are
specially indicated to retain water in the driest vintages.

Both bush and trellised vines are hand harvested (in a region
where mechanical harvesting is the norm in over 90% of the vineyard surface)
and yields are kept below 5,000 kilos per hectare. This really makes a
difference compared with the current whites from Rueda, most of them focused on
price.

Since the very beginning, cold macerations were performed as well
as barrel fermentations. Today, 300-litre French barrels are used in order to
avoid an excess of oak in the wines and barrels are removed every four years.
For specific plots that give less structured wines, Belondrade uses mixed
barrels made with oak staves and softer acacia wood for the heads while
maintaining the microoxygenation effect.

Plots are fermented and aged separately. A first tasting takes
place in January in order to assess which wines will go into the Belondrade y
Lurton top white. The remaining wines will be part of a second wine which also
includes grapes from young vineyards that have fermented in stainless steel
tanks. Quinta Apolonia, named after one of Didier’s daughters, is sold under
the VT Castilla y León indication and makes for roughly 40,000 bottles. In July
a second tasting is carried out in order to decide the final blend of
Belondrade y Lurton, thus the wine spends a total of 10-12 months in barrel.

Fighting for natural yeasts

Together with the introduction of larger barrels, the most
important change in Belondrade’s winemaking has to a do with Didier’s
unambiguous bet for natural yeasts, which seems to come as a logic consequence
of his philosophy: “I don’t want to make an oenologist's wine; I want to make a
wine with a soul that reflects its terroir, its climate and its grape.”

Both Didier and winemaker Marta Baquerizo were terribly sincere
and admitted significant discrepancies concerning yeasts. There was
considerable reticence on Marta’s side as she couldn’t completely control
fermentations. It must be taken into account that technology is key in Rueda's
winemaking (machine harvesting, cold-controlled fermentations, and aromas very
much influenced by yeasts that usually follow the current trends). Very few
wineries look for an artisan work in this regard, even less if they are to
produce 80,000 bottles of a single wine as is the case with Belondrade.

Nevertheless, the final assessment is quite positive. The wines
haven’t experienced drastic changes. On the contrary, they look more precise
and interference-free (the new approach to oak aging also plays a role here).
On the other hand, the winemaking team has adapted to natural fermentations in
such a way that doesn’t even consider the use of Belondrade’s own yeast which
had been selected in the meantime in collaboration with the University of
Valladolid. "Working with many yeasts brings diversity and allows a
distinctive expression of each vintage," says Marta Baquerizo, who has
fully embraced this approach now.

Belondrade also produces a rosé Tempranillo. Named after another
of Didier’s daughters, Quinta Clarisa accounts for less than 10,000 bottles and
is also sold under the VT Castilla y León indication.

The next generation is already present at Belondrade’s. Jean,
Didier’s son, is in charge of exports markets where over 30% of the wines are
sold. His main aim is to reach as many markets as possible and place
Belondrade’s labels in their leading restaurants.

A vertical tasting

The 20th anniversary celebration was a perfect excuse to taste
vintages dating back from 2001 to date except for 2007 (there weren’t enough
bottles available). All wines were served from 3-litre double magnums which had
been previously decanted.

Belondrade y Lurton
2012. It is the current vintage on the market. 2012 was a very dry
year, as well as the previous ones, so drought was a great concern. First
vintage ever without any malolatic at all and also first to ferment in the new
barrel facilities, which helped ensure that yeasts where really coming from the
vineyard.

Deep lemon. Nice intensity and well-defined fruit (fennel, white
fruit, lemon peel), more creamy than smoked. A good, fleshy and balanced
Verdejo with a saline touch that reflects minerality and terroir. Much less oak
influence than usual at this point.

Belondrade y Lurton
2011. Somewhat warmer than 2012 even if it wasn’t as hot as that year.
But September was specially warm with less temperature variation between night
and day.

Deep lemon. Toasty and lactic notes, infusion herbs (fennel),
fresh butter. Quite a good concentration here, although somewhat less
full-bodied than 2012, with saline notes also present and long finish.

Belondrade y Lurton
2010. Grapes were harvested later than in 2011. Temperatures reached
40ºC during the day but went down to around 12ºC at night. From 2010 onwards
all wines carried out natural fermentations.

Belondrade y Lurton
2009. Another warm and dry vintage, the kind of which winemaker Marta Baquerizo states that
develops with elegance.

Intense gold. The bottle has nicely done its work (infusion herbs,
chamomile, balsamic notes and nutmeg) and the lees also speak quite clear
(toasty notes, butterscotch, praline). Toasty, creamy and very unctuous on the
palate. It reflects the vintage and the style of the wines prior to natural
fermentations. Very consistent although not highly exciting.

Belondrade y Lurton
2008. High-quality vintage which achieved and almost perfect balance,
as explained during the tasting.

Deep golden. A fresh herbaceous note followed by toasty nuances
(smoked and butter), quite elegant. Oak gets most of the attention on the
palate; there’s a deep balsamic note afterwards. For the first time there’s a
bitter edge that prevails over minerality.

Belondrade y Lurton
2006. Deep gold. Very buttery on the nose, almost in a
chardonnay-style, so the variety doesn’t show quite as well; elegant though.
Intense and flavorful on the palate, slightly warm, but creamy and nicely
structured. Oak stands out clearly but there’s a nice and distinctive salinity
in the finish.

Belondrade y Lurton
2005. Deep gold. Lightly reduced for the first time. Lactic and toasty
notes (praline), infusion herbs, well defined aromas. Nicely structured and
mineral, it fills the palate but it’s well balanced; oak is less dominant.
Balsamic notes on the finish. Lightly warmer than 2006, but really good.

Belondrade y Lurton
2004. Deep gold. A bit closed on the nose, but quite delicate and
complex, with balsamic and toasty notes. Good structure, balanced and tasty,
not spectacular but everything is in the right place. I think everybody would
love to find this after uncorking a 10-year-old white.

Belondrade y Lurton
2003. Amber gold. Passed its time, but nobody expected to find a great
wine from the very hot 2003 vintage.

Belondrade y Lurton
2002. Grapes ripened irregularly, so they had to be harvested at
intervals to avoid rot. From this vintage onward, 300-litre barrels started to
play an important role for oak aging.

Deep gold. Interesting nose (herbs, toasty nuances, a touch of
syrup). The oak is very noticeable on the palate but acidity counterbalances
its effects. Slightly bitter on the finish. About to start fading.

Belondrade y Lurton 2001. Amber gold. Dusty, slightly reduced, with lactic notes. Also with some
bitterness on the palate that shows its age, orange marmalade on the finish.